NEW YORK—A Brooklyn drug seller pleaded responsible Wednesday to offering “The Wire” actor Michael Ok. Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, inflicting his dying.
Irvin Cartagena’s plea to a cost of conspiring to distribute medication was entered in Manhattan federal courtroom. Sentencing was set by U.S. District Choose Ronnie Abrams for Aug. 18, when Cartagena will face a compulsory minimal of 5 years in jail and the opportunity of as many as 40 years.
The famed actor, who additionally starred in movies and different TV collection together with “Boardwalk Empire,” overdosed in his Brooklyn penthouse house in September 2021. Authorities mentioned he died hours after shopping for the heroin from Cartagena on a Brooklyn sidewalk in a deal that was recorded by a safety digicam.
Cartagena, 39, signed a plea settlement with prosecutors stipulating that the combination of heroin and fentanyl he offered Williams resulted in his dying. His lawyer, Sean Maher, declined remark.
U.S. Legal professional Damian Williams, who isn’t associated to the actor, mentioned in an announcement that the sale occurred in “broad daylight in New York Metropolis, feeding dependancy and inflicting tragedy.”
“In doing so, he dealt the deadly dose that killed Michael Ok. Williams,” Williams mentioned.
Prosecutors mentioned Cartagena and his alleged co-conspirators continued to promote fentanyl-laced heroin round residential house buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan even after they discovered of the actor’s dying. One other defendant within the case pleaded responsible Tuesday.
Williams’ dying got here regardless of an investigation by the New York Police Division that positioned a paid informant making managed heroin buys on the identical block the place Williams purchased medication.
The day after, the informant went again to purchase extra medication from the identical group and recorded a dialog wherein a few of them talked about Williams’ overdose. One denied promoting any medication containing fentanyl.
Williams’ “stick-up boy” character Omar Little on “The Wire”—a fictionalized take a look at the underpinnings of Baltimore that led to 2008 however stays common in streaming—was based mostly on a real-life determine.
He created one other basic character as Chalky White in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and in addition appeared in “12 Years a Slave,” “Murderer’s Creed” and different movies.
In interviews, Williams had spoken about his battles with dependancy.
By Larry Neumeister
